Productivity at Morris

Thought those of you who are not getting Morris correspondent will be interested in this e-mail:

Are you ready for a scavenger hunt with a twist?..:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />

Find the

Apple I-Pod Shuffle

and Win It!!!!

The new Inside.Morris.com portal has received a complete facelift and we are so excited about it, we want to make sure everyone checks out the site. So, to entice you to visit the new portal, we invite you to participate in a scavenger hunt with a twist. Somewhere hidden within the new Inside.Morris.com portal, there is an Apple I-Pod Shuffle just waiting for you to click it and win it.

The contest to find the I-Pod will run for four consecutive Mondays, beginning on February 5. Each Monday, beginning at 12 noon Eastern Time, there will be a picture of a new Apple I-Pod Shuffle hidden somewhere within the contents of the Inside.Morris.com site. You must search the site, find the I-Pod and click on it to reveal the secret password. You will then be prompted to email the secret password to enter the contest. The first email with the password received will be the winning entry and the sender will win a new Apple I-Pod Shuffle.

There will be a total of four I-Pods given away – one I-Pod each Monday in February. Winners will be announced on the portal Splash page as soon as the winning entry is received.

So get ready to explore the new Inside.Morris.com

Happy Hunting!!!

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Jeremy: So, not only do they want their employees to waste time using the inane and badly designed corporate HR portal, but they also want to reward them with the CHEAPEST iPods out there.

Me: My thoughts exactly. How many songs can it contain and how long is the lame-o battery on that paperclip?

I'm so ready I'm pathetic

OK, I've been seriously bitten by the baby-making bug for about 3 years now.

Most of you don't know this --for more than 2 decades, I resented children, even cute ones! Yes, I especially cannot tolerate their neediness. In some way, I now truly know why some subscribe to the notion that to not have children is a selfish thing. Not that I agree with that, but like politics, religion, Wal-mart, that's another subject I don't want to get tangled in.

Anyway, what makes me pathetic?

I was watching the travel channel last night. There was a great program that showcased the largest aquarium ( City of Arts and Science ) in the world in Valencia, Spain. Following that, it was a peek into Orlando's Sea World.

That was the feature that got me all gooey. They showed a segment where one of the killer whales was popping out a baby whale. It was the most amazing, clean (not taking into account that cloud of dark gas) and quick (well, after 4 hours of labor) mammal birth I've witnessed. Anyway, I was choked up with emotion.

So, there, a simple viewing of a whale birth got me all faklempt.

Plus, the number of impending pregnancies surrounding me from all 3 sides in the office. Aarggghhhh.

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Amber: I, too, have been bitten by the baby bug but I know that the smart thing to do is hold off for at least another year or so until after Drew and I have settled into a home and have steady jobs. I cannot make it through a TLC "Baby Story" dry-eyed. I, too, am pathetic. :)

Jeremy: Good for you all. I personally have those pangs every now and again, when I look at a sweet, cute little toddler who's behaving him or herself, and I see the little girl or little guy reach up to their daddy for a hug. Those pangs decrease when they start screaming or throwing a tantrum in a public place, but they're still there every now and again.

Right now, I'm not ready for it. I'd prefer to have help (aka find the second daddy) be financially secure (which I'm still working on) and live in a state that won't discriminate against me when it comes time to adopt.

We're all going to hell

A fellow myspacer posted this on his bulletin. Thought you'd like to see for yourself if you're going to hell (and not just because you'd engaged in the backward masking of "Hotel California").

http://lovegodsway.org/GayBands

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Jeremy: OMG. That is so freaking funny because it's basically my playlist on iTunes. I wish to Gawd that this is a joke.

Ted Nugent? Encouraging homosexuality? The most conservative and right wing of all rock stars? WTF! No self-respecting gay man would be turned on by that dude, even from back in the day, even in a loincloth (that's just incredibly gross).... shudder...

You should see the "safe" bands.

I'm sorry, but Cyndi Lauper? She's every lipstick lezzie's wet dream. C'mon... "She-Bop"?

Snowstorm in Lubbock

I'll preface the pics by giving some context, though. Southwest Texas was slammed by some cold spell over the weekend. While in house arrest, I took some pictures. The link is here:

http://spotted.lubbockonline.com/pages/gallery.php?gallery=317377

News We Can Use .1

Welcome to the first installment of News WE can Use. As you can see, I didn't use "You" as I am in no position to patronize anyone.

Question: What does overnight mean to you when you are mailing a package? Very likely the next day, right?

Answer: Well, the Friday before New Year's Day, I went to the local PostNet branch to mail a packet stuffed with big bills to M, who lost his only cash-acquisition card the night before.

I told the fella I wanted it to get there ASAP, overnight. He asked if I wanted it there by 3:30 p.m. or 10:30 a.m. I found out the cost difference was a mere $4. So I request for 10:30 a.m., and verified again that it is "overnight, right?"

So Saturday morning came, and I called M at 11 a.m. to verify he got the packet. He told me it didn't arrive, and he checked the tracking number on the Web site, and it stated it's already arrived in the Fedex office. But it won't be delivered until Jan 2, a Tuesday.

I was livid. Those of you who had witnessed me in a rage can imagine my outburst to Fedex when I called their 800 number. I was a complete basketcase and I was yelling and crying (yes, crying) at the customer rep about the incredibly insipid customer service I received. And how could anyone not have explained to me (like she had done on the phone) that overnight on Friday means overnight NEXT BUSINESS DAY! And how important that package is for someone who is stranded in a new place. And what they can do to make an effort to ensure he gets the package that day.

But she said there is nothing they can do. And that overnight generally means next business day, unless I specified I was overnight weekend!

So there M is, spending his first weekend with only $10, and having a long weekend to boot with little to no means.

Thankfully, for PostNet, I had a few days to calm down before I storm to the office the next business day. Which was the first thing I did on Tuesday. Well, I didn't storm in. I was actually quite professional. But I did express to the manager that I'm disgusted with the lackey who sold me the service and not have the good sense to know his job. I got a full credit on future purchase for the inconvenience.

So, the moral of the lesson is don't count on good customer service from anyone, anywhere. And hope you didn't have to go through what I did.

This concludes "News WE can Use"

It's Just Money, Right?

I'm so depressed I don't even know where to begin.

Ok, I still have this rental house in Georgia. Today, the renter e-mailed me and told me that the heater has gone out again. There was a patch-up fix last year apparently. Anyway, I got in touch with a plumber I trust in Augusta to recommend a HVAC guy, who promptly went to the property.

Anyway, I got a phone call from the renter that the news is not good and I'll hear it from the HVAC guy tomorrow. It appeared we have to replace the whole damn unit as the gas line has a crack in it. Because of that, HVAC guy has to shut off the line and my renters have to stay in a hotel. According to my renters, the last time we had a minor repair made, an estimate of $4600 came up to replace a unit. So we should be expecting to pay that much this time around.

Now, we aren't exactly rich. Sure, we have equity. But what's the good of that if we have no cash flow, right?

M just paid 1 month's rent, 1 month's deposit (and it's no small sum) for a rental in Chicagoland. He needs a bed. And there's the air tickets that I had bought for Feb and March. Not to mention about $470 repair sometime next month for a CV joint in the VW.

The situation really sucks right now. But what can I do? "Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change/Courage to change the things I can/And the wisdom to know the difference" I keep chanting.

Afterall, it's only money, right? Our health is intact, we have roofs over our head, we have jobs. The money just will have to be re-earned in due time.

I guess it's time to bust out the credit card and suck up the interest.

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Jeremy: I'm sorry to hear about all the problems. I am sure it will work out. I also hope that you might be able to, hopefully, sell the house in Augusta.

Read the contract--you could be liable to reimburse them, but if it's not spelled out, it's up to you. Mine is very specific with the current rental property but doesn't specifically state anything about temporary lodging (I'd probably go down the road to my grandparents' house, to be honest, if anything happened).

Be glad you have the credit card to bust out. Some of us are left to our own devices.

Patrick: Wow, for the first time in my life, I actually feel sympathy for a landlord. That truly sucks; hang in there.

Me: I calculated last night that I made out at least $6000 in repairs last year! Anyone knows how much Uncle Sam reimburse during tax time?

Melissa: I'm so sorry I'm just now seeing this!! My goodness! Like you said, you have so many other things to be grateful for - good health, jobs, etc - but at the same, ARGH!!!! Damn financial set backs!!! You have every right to scream (or blog!). I'll be thinking about you guys and sending you some "good rental repair" vibes!